Sunday 3 July 2011

How To: Add some Winter Wonder to your Summer Staples

If you happen to live in a country with the expected seasonal weather, (hot in the summer, cold in the winter etc,) then you will be able to keep your wardrobe well stocked, month by month, as the collections falling off the runways slip nicely into your seasonal style and you always have something to wear. I, however, do not, and as it stands after nine months of summer already, i'm craving a little bit of winter wonder in my wardrobe and have found the perfect printed style inspiration to do so: the houndstooth. A staple in Gwen Stefani's wardrobe no matter what the weather, a few celebs as of late have been adding touches of this iconic pattern to their red carpet creations and i think this injection of Fall/Winter into Spring/Summer is just the thing to curb my cold month cravings. Here are a few celebs who have got the same idea as i do:

Ashley Green steps out onto the blue carpet in her summer whites but a cute houndstooth clutch is the perfect accessory to her clean-cut look.

Selena Gomez does a radio interview in some very short shorts with all black accessories to balance out the pattern.

Alexa Chung blends winter and summer perfectly in these printed shades that will be a must have at all the festivals this month.

Kim Kardashian drapes a scarf over her casual get-up and sticks to the black and white colour theme. 

Wednesday 29 June 2011

Fight the Fear and Take The Plunge

Anne Hathaway in Prada at Elton John's White Tie and Tiara Ball  shows us the classy way to do cleavage
This week's red carpet roundup hailed a number of brightly coloured dresses, some classy, like Rosie Huntington-Whitley's choices as of late, and some tacky, thanks mainly to the Braxton sisters and the BET Awards, but the most noticeable neckline on all these fab frocks is one that for years has struck fear into the flat-chested fashionista: The Plunge. A tailoring marvel, this trend can look either sophisticated or slutty and there is a very fine line between the two, but i have selected a group of celebs who have mastered the former and as such they will be your Gurus for coming to terms with the gap between your chest, approach with caution ladies and simply stick to these three steps:

1.) Keep all other accessories/hair/shoes to the bare minimum.

2.) Get the fake tan out, if you are going to flash the flesh at least keep it all one colour.

3.) Tit tape is your new best friend, use it excessively if you have to.

Heidi Klum in a cowl necked Michael Kors keeps her hair slicked back and her makeup fresh

Rosie Huntington-Whitely at the London Premiere of the new Transformers film shows off her perfect skin tone

Diane Kruger at the amfAR Gala in Paris in a siren red YSL dress with matching lipstick and nails looks Parisienne Chic 

Saturday 25 June 2011

From High Style to High Street: Prada Edition



There is always one dress every season that causes a fashion frenzy amongst editors and stylists alike, all of them vying to have a particular look on a certain A-lister or a September cover and for S/S 2011 that was the Prada striped cocktail dress that flooded its way down from the white runway onto celebs and covers all over the world. As soon as the 'Seta Lana' dress hit the news stands it also hit the high-street and a medley of 'poor-man's Prada' copycat prints soon followed much to the delight of the more thrifty shopper, here I have charted it's evolution from Prada to Perkins, (Dorothy, that is.)

The original dress on the S/S2011 runway and the tailored version on Hailee at the SAG Awares

A cute copycat version from Dorothy Perkins for £19.99 available at www.dorothyperkins.com 

A Promod maxi dress that would be the perfect for a summer BBQ in the same print as the Prada version

Tuesday 21 June 2011

The 'Gaga' Effect - How Vintage Versace is Making a Comeback...



Whilst her new video for "The Edge of Glory" might not be impressing critics and hardcore fans, certain fierce fashionistas like myself are simply drooling with envy over her vintage Versace wardrobe in the four-minute flick. From leather bondage-style bodysuits to the classic Versace printed shirt she dons at the end of the song, every piece is perfection and with Donatella dressing her for her current promotional tour of Europe you just know that she is going to dig deep into the archives for something special, i can't wait to see what has been hiding in the back of Gianni's old closet...

In the mean time check out some Versace inspired items on the high street at the moment:

Graffiti dress: £14.99 at New Look

Lady Gaga at Toronto this weekend rocking some clashing prints

Yellow Blazer- £55.00 at Topshop

Gaga's now signature blue hair clashes with her lemon yellow jacket but it makes the perfect stage outfit


With H&M just announcing their new collaboration with Versace and a few sneak peeks already hitting the net (check out www.instyle.com) it seems the label has never been more desirable, so start scouring the vintage shops for Versace ladies!

Saturday 18 June 2011

Mini-Trend: Belted Ball-gowns


The very beautiful Claire Danes set fashion tongues waggling at the 2011 SAG Awards when she belted this floral Louis Vuitton number and many bloggers and critics alike noted that it had 'ruined' the feminine dress by cinching the waist with a leather belt straight out of your dads' wardrobe, i begged to differ. I think it brought some much needed attitude to what otherwise was an unimaginative, unmemorable gown compared to the rest of the A-listers to strut down the carpet, (January Jones, anyone?), but she seems to have started a mini-trend of belting up ball-gowns when three times this week a starlet has been spotted with a band around her waist, an instant way to change a dress from drab to fab.

Alicia Keys added spikes to her feathered Givenchy number at the Camden Keep a Child Alive benefit and kept the accessories to a minimum

Diane Kruger added a touch of this seasons hottest accent, coral, to her gorgeous gown at a benefit with boyfriend Joshua Jackson, colour clashing and chic

Hilary Rhoda teamed a very on trend cobalt blue dress with tan accessories and showed off her famous figure in LA this weekend

Wednesday 15 June 2011

Style Hero: Krysten Ritter


This quirky actress is a Zoey Deschenel look-a-like and mimics her geek chic style as well, hiding behind a thick fringe and exuding a kind of 'deer in the headlights' charm on the red carpet, this gorgeous girl has had hit after hit on the red carpet. Silently slipping under the radar for the last few years she has starred in Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars, Gossip Girl (as Lily Humphry's sister) and the hit film 27 Dresses, but now its time to not only time to shine the light on star status but also her indie-chick style as something for all you fashion followers to emulate, think Alexa Chung meets Florence Welch and be prepared to break out the brogues.

 Ready for summer in a Mink Pink floral dress and cute coral clutch from Sedgwick Krysten looks gorgeously girly

At the Confessions of a Shopaholic premiere in a Sonia by Sonia Rykiel prom dress in a deep purple and metallic accessories 

Arriving at an ELLE party the actress teams her black and white ensemble with a dark lip and dark eyes but still manages to stay feminine 

Sunday 12 June 2011

What to Wear to: A Polo Match

Serena and Blair may have fooled you into thinking they got it right on Gossip Girl with their maxi dresses and Kate Middleton style hats but actually unless it is a formal competition a simple shift dress and some killer heels will keep you looking Polo perfect without getting into ball-gown territory. Less is more my fellow fashionistas, team the following look with some equestrian etiquette and you will be hot to trot: 

These patent shoes have a thick enough heel that you won't be getting stuck in the grass on the playing field! Shoes: £64.99 River Island.

This vintage-inspired clutch is a fun little accessory that will tie the black shoe buckle and gold necklace to the dress, completing the look, Clutch: £6.99, New Look.

This sweet little shift dress in a flattering shade of coral is sophisticated and simple enough to make you stand out from the crowd, but for the right reasons. Dress: £54.99, Zara.

The high-street at it's finest, this gleaming gold choker from H&M gives a simple dress a glamorous accent and keeps the look current. Necklace: £6.99, H&M.